HELP IS AVAILABLE: Student Engagement and the Transition to the Professional Workforce

“In a lifelong learning context, the transition from initial education … is seen as simply the first of many transitions between work and learning that young people will experience throughout their lives.”
– Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2000)

Did you know that on average, Canadians experience about 17 labour force transitions (change of work / unemployment / re-employment) over a lifetime? Gone are the days where one stays with the same company for their whole life, so post-secondary institutions must start preparing students for a life of perpetual change. Post-secondary institutions need to engage students in enriching educational experiences while providing a supportive campus environment where resources can easily be found and where students can learn about making the transition into the professional workforce. On November 8, 2007, at the 7th annual UBC Learning Conference, these issues were put to the forefront during two afternoon presentations. Margot Bell (Student Development), Shagufta Pasta (AMS), and Cindy Underhill (Office of Learning Technology) organized a student panel to speak about how the Learning Enhancement Academic Partnership (LEAP) website was created to provide students with a supportive campus environment and Liz Heathcote (Office of Learning Technology) discussed the transition for university students into the professional workforce, and what universities can do to support this student transition.

According to the 2006 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), UBC scored slightly below average on most student engagement benchmarks relative to other Canadian universities. Of particular note, is the fact that UBC scored below average at providing a supportive campus environment for students. This is surprising as UBC has an assortment of resources available to support students as they move through their university experience. Resources such as Career Services help students find out more about the transition from student life to professional life, the Writing Centre helps students improve their writing skills, and students can take IT training workshops to learn more about using computer programs like Dreamweaver and Photoshop. In addition almost all of the resources at UBC are FREE! So why do UBC students indicate that they do not have a supportive campus environment? It’s because so many students don’t even know that these support resources exist!

LEAP was created in 2005 to develop a new approach to supporting student learning at UBC, and it provides students with a centralized location where they can find out about the different support resources available to them here at UBC. On the LEAP website, students can see how others are dealing with the inevitable stresses of midterms and papers, can access study tips posted by students and professors, and can find out about workshops that can help them cope with student life. Peer coaching and mentoring are available, as are study groups and tutoring in a variety of subjects. LEAP creates a sense of community for students, and points them to the resources that they need. It helps provide a supportive campus environment for students.

This is an important recent development, as students need to be able to find out about resources on campus in order for these resources to be of any help. For UBC to become a more supportive campus environment, it needs to not only support students with academic help, but also support students with the transition from being a student to being a professional. With the average Canadian experiencing about 17 labour force transitions, today’s students need to learn how to successfully make and deal with transition. Much attention is focused on the transition into university, but once here, students don’t have a helping hand willing to guide them out of university and into the professional workforce. They must take the initiative to find support resources themselves, or else make the transition from student to professional by themselves. Unless professors, TAs, or other students let students know about the resources available to them around campus, they will not know of them and cannot benefit from a helping hand. The transition into the professional workforce takes time, and students need to be aware of and be prepared for the transition into their next stage in life.

Students need to understand this transition into the professional workforce, and need to develop professional work skills both inside and outside of the classroom which will help them in the future. They also need to identify where they can find support for the upcoming transition and locate examples of people who have made the transition successfully – learning first hand from other professionals and alumni. Students need a supportive campus environment where resources can easily be found and where students can learn about making the transition into the professional workforce.

Students can be more prepared for the upcoming transition into the professional workforce by joining co-op, partaking in internships, or signing-up for a mentorship program. Students can also join student run clubs and associations which organize social events (where students can get to know fellow students with similar interests) and professional development events (where professionals and UBC alumni are invited to speak to students and share their transitional experience from school into the workforce). Career Services has events throughout the school term where students can attend employer information sessions, career fairs, and find out more about work opportunities once they graduate from UBC. There are also a plethora of volunteer opportunities available for students, where they can develop new skills outside of the classroom and can help out in their community.

Making the transition from school to the professional workplace can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. As you can see, help is available to alleviate fears and to make sure that students are prepared for the transition. The problem, though, is that students need to be made aware of where they can find out about these resources! They need to identify where support is – these resources already exist and are willing to help guide students into the professional workplace, but what helps is it to students if they do not know about them? Professors, TAs, faculty, and other students need to do their part to inform other UBC students about these resources. We need to bring resources to the classroom so that students know where to get help. If you are a professor, TA, or faculty member, show students how their school work relates to the professional workforce. Help students find out about how they can apply the skills learned at school to the professional workforce. Help them feel like they have a supportive campus environment, and that UBC cares about its students!

Finally, I urge you to do your part by directing others to this article and to the vast array of useful resources on campus. As you may have noticed, this article provides you with links to many of the resources available on campus that help students make the transition from student to professional life and which help students become more involved in the UBC community. Students need to find out about these resources, as only then will our campus have a supportive campus environment, one which will help students make the transition from student to professional. The transition from student to professional will just be one of many transitions that students will face over their lifetime. Let’s make sure they get off on the right foot.